Coke-oven interlocking and signaling mechanism



F. K. PORTER COKE OVEN INTERLOCKING AND SIGNALING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 5. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l W 1. A, E u. H. hm w W A 5 U Q N m r M W Wiizressas:

July 8, 1924. 1,500,526

7 F. K. PORTERv COKE OVEN INTERLOCKING AND SIGNALING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 5. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

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Wfimsses: Inveniar:

f g fizwz KENNETH POETEE,

- FRANK KENNETH PORTER, F CLAIR-TON, PENNSYLVANIA.

'ooKE-ovnN r rnanooxrNe AND SIGNALING Nncmmsu;

Application filed November 3, 1923. Serial No. 672,698.

To all whom/it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK KENNETH PORTER, a citizen of the United States, and

resident of Clairton, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania,.have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Coke-Oven Interlocking and Signaling Mechanisms, of which the following with removable doors to permit the disdesired charging of the coke, the doors being operated by machines traveling on tracks extending along both sides of the battery of ovens. To'dlscharge the coke from the oven chambers there is a pusher machine arranged to travel on tracks running along one side of the battery called the pusher side. This machine carries a ram for pushing the finished coke out at the opposite end of the oven chambers called the coke side. The pusher machine also carries mechanism for operating the doors on the pusher side. On the coke side of the battery there travels a door operating machine and a coke guide, the latter serving to direct the coke from the oven into a coke quenching car which operates on a trackarranged on a lower level. In usual practice the coke guide is not supplied with motive power but is coupled .to the door machine which moves it into the positions The GJGCtlOIl or pushing of the coke from the oven chambers is conducted according to a certain sequence with which the operators on both the coke pusher and the door machine are familiar. Thus as soon as an oven has been pushed and the oven doors properly replaced, the machines on both sides of the battery of ovens move and continue the routine of operation. I

The operators on the pusher machine and door machine are entirely out ofsight of each other, and,heretofore, audible or visible signals have been used to notify the pusher machine operator when the door machine operator has prepared. the oven for pushing.

The signal systems heretofore used, however, have been defective, in that while they advised the operator of the ushin machine that an oven was ready to e pus ed, there was nothmg to prevent his pushing the wrong one, and, therefore, if either operator had spotted the wrong oven, as is frequently done, the wrong oven would be pushed and the coke spilled. The spilling of an oven of coke not only endangers the lives of the workmen but also causes considerable delay in the operation of the ovens and entails a great amount of'labor to clean it up.

- The present invention entirely eliminates the necessity of signals and so interlocks the operation of the door and pusher machine power circuits that it is impossible for the pusher machine operator to operate the ram on his machine until the door machine operator closes a control circuit and then only after he has alined the pusher machine with the correct oven.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a conventional plan of a battery of ovens having my invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional elevation therethrough.

Figure 3 is a diagram of the electrical control circuit.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 2 designates the individual ovens of the battery which are arranged side by side. Charging the ovens is accomplished in the usual manner through closable holes 3 in the roof of the ovens or coking chambers. A pushing machine 4 travels along one side of the battery on track rails 5 and carries a motor driven ram 6. The ram motor is connected in any sultable mannerto the ram and is not shown ure 3. The pushing machine 4 is also equipped with suitable mechanism for handling the pusher side oven doors 7. On the opposite side of the batter (the coke side) the electrically driven oor machine 8 travels on track rails 9. This door machine operates the doors 10 on the coke side of the battery and is also used for moving the coke guide 11, which serves to guide the-coke as it is pushed from the oven into a suitable quenching car (not shown). The door machme is provided with two operating motors, one propelling the machine along the tracks 8 and the other for operatin the door removing mechanism. Neither 0 these motors are shown on the conventional illustration of the machine, but are indicated in the wiring dia am of Figure 3.

The apparatus so ar described is of standard construction and well known in the art, so will not be shown nor described on the opposite sides of the battery and connected by conductors or wires 16 and 17, re-

spectively, to a source of low potential current such as the transformer 18. f

A segmental conductor rail 19 is arranged along each side of the battery and is composed of conductor segments 20 and alternated non-conductor segments 20. A conductor segment 19 is provided opposite each oven. The segments 19 at the opposite ends of each oven are connected by conductors 21 to one of the tie rods 13, so that an electrical connection is made across the oven from one segment to the other. The tie rods 13 used as part of the electrical circuit are insulated from the buckstays 12.

The door machine is provided with a pair of trolleys 22 and 23 adapted to engage the conductor rails 14 and 19, respectively, on that side of the battery, and the pushing'machine is provided with a pair of trolleys 24 and 25 adapted to engage the conductorrails 14 and 19, respectively, on that side of the battery.

A suitable conductor 26 leads from trolley 22 to one pole 27 of a double throw switch 28 on the door machine, and a second conductor 27 leads from the other trolley 23 to the other pole 29 on the same side of the switch. The door machine motors 30 and 31 are adapted to be controlled by controllers 32 46 and 47 of the switch 42 and adapted to be 7 and 33 and are provided with current from supply lines 34 and 35, the line 35 of which is connected to the poles 36 and 37 of the switch 28.

The trolleys 24 and 25 of the pushing machine are connected by conductors 39 and 40 through a solenoid. coil 41 of an automatic switch 42. The ram motor 43 receives its power from supply lines 44 and 45. The line 45 of which is connected through the poles closed only when said switch is energized.

In operation the door machine operator will first engage the switch 28 with poles 36 and 37 of the switch so as to close the power circuit to the door machine operating motors.- After he has removed the door from the oven and placed the coke guide he will then reverse the position of the switch 28 so as to engage the poles 27 and 29, thus closing his side of the control circuit. The control circuit will then be complete to the trolleys 24 and 25 of the pushing machine.

It will be noted that when the switch 28 is moved to close the control circuit the power circuit through the wires 34 and 35 to the door machine operating motors is broken and said machine cannot be again operated without breaking the control circuit.

, If the pushing machine is in position to push the oven from which the door machine has removed the door, at the time the door machine operator engages the switch 28 with contacts, 27 and 29 the control circuit will be completed through the trolleys 24 and 25 of the pushingmachine, conductors 39 and 40 and coil 41 of switch 42, thus closing the switch 42 and completing the power circuit to the ram motor 43 through poles 46 and 47 of the switch. However, if the pushing machine is not located at the correct oven or has not been properly alined with the correct oven the control circuit will. remain open at the trolley 25.

When both machines are in proper position at thesame oven to push the coke, and the switch 28 has been engaged with the poles 27 and 29, the followmg control circuit will be made from the one side of the transformer 18 through wire 16 to rail 14, through trolley 22 on door machine, ,conductor 26, switch 28, conductor 27, trolley 23 on door machine, rail 19, conductor 21, tie

rod 13, second conductor 21, rail 19, trolley 25 on the pushing machine, conductor 39,

coil 41 of switch 42, conductor 40, trolley 24,v

rail 14, and conductor 17 to the other side of the transformer. The above control circuit, when completed, will cause the energization of coil 41 and close switch 42 so as to complete the power circuit to ram motor 43. I

.An audible signal is not necessary in the operation of this system. However, when the control circuit is completed the action of the current passing through the coil 41 will cause a buzzing sound and thus notify the pushing machine operator that everything is inreadiness to pushthe coke. Signals of any sort, however, are unnecessary, since the power circuit to the ram motor can not be completed until both the door machine and pushing machine are positioned at the opposite ends of the same oven, and the switch 28 has been engaged with-the poles 27' and 29.

Various modifications will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and,

therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the specific construction and combination of parts shown and described, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim 1. In an apparatus for the destructive distillation of coal, a battery of ovens, each of said ovens being adapted to be'pushed from one end and dischargedfrom the 0pposite end, a door operating machine movable along the discharge end of said ovens, and a pusher machine movable along the pushing end of said ovens, a ram carried by said pusher machine and adapted to enter and discharge the ovens, an electric motor for operating said ram, means for completing an electric circuit to said motor, and

means for preventing the completion of said electric circuit until both the door operating machine and pusher machine are positioned at the opposite ends of the same oven.

2. In an apparatus for the destructive dis tillation of coal, a battery of ovens, each of said ovens being adapted to be pushed from one end and discharged from the opposite end, a door operating machine movable along the discharge end of said ovens, and a pusher machine movable along the pushing end of said ovens, a ram carried by said pusher machine and adapted to enter and discharge the ovens, an electric motor for operating said ram, means for completing an electric circuit to said motor, and controlled by the operator of the door operating machine for preventing the completion of said electric circuit until both the door operating machine and pusher machine are positioned at the opposite ends of the same oven.

3. In an apparatus for the destructive distillation of coal, a battery of ovens, each of said ovens being adapted to be pushed from one end and dischar ed from the opposite end, a door operatlng machine movable along the discharge end of said ovens, and

a pusher machine movable along the pushing end of said ovens, a ram carried by said pusher machine and adapted to enter and discharge the ovens, an electric motor for operating said ram, electrically operated control means for closing the circuit to said motor, a control circuit for operating said means, and means for preventing the completion of said electric control circuit until both the door machine and pusher machine are positioned at the opposite ends of the same oven.

4. In an apparatus for the destructive distillation of coal, a battery of ovens, each of, said ovens being adapted to be pushed from one end and discharged from the opposite end, a door operating machine mov-' able along the discharge end of said ovens,

and a pusher machine movable, along the pushing end of said ovens, a ram carried by said pusher machine and adapted to enter and discharge the ovens, an electric motor for operating said ram, electrically operated control means for closing the circuit to said motor, a control circuit for operating said means, said circuit being normally open, a conductor arranged above each of said ovens, and contacts on said door operating and pusher machines adapted to engage the opposite ends of said conductors to close said control circuit, thereby insuring the positioning of said machines at the same oven before the circuit to said motor is completed.

5. In an apparatus for the destructive distillation of coal, a battery of ovens, each of said ovens being adapted to be pushed from one end and discharged from the opposite end, a door operating machine movable along the pushing end of said ovens, a ram carried by said pusher machine and adapted to enter and discharge the ovens, an electric motor for operating said ram, electrically operated control means for closing the circuit to said motor, a low potential control circuit for operating said means, said circuit including a continuous conductor rail arranged on each side of said battery to which the opposite poles of said circuit are connected, a segmental conductor rail on each side of said battery of ovens, the segments of said segmental rails on each side of said battery being in alinement with those of the other side and one segment being provided for each oven, a conductor arranged longitudinally of each oven of the battery and connecting the rail segments at the opposite ends of the oven, a an of electrically connected trolleys on said door and said pusher machines adapted to contact with said continuous conductor rails and said segmental rails, whereby said control circuit will be completed only when said trolleys on said machines are in engagement with the segments of the segmental conductor rails at the opposite ends of the same oven.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

FRANK KENNETH PORTER. 

